Books and Boards
by BaconIsLifeBaconIsLove
Summary: Rachel Berry is a second year NYADA student with a bitchy roommate. What happens when a dorky, blonde beauty almost runs her down on the sidewalk! Nerd/Skater!Quinn goes to Columbia and falls in love with a book store where a Ms. Berry just happens to be working... This is a very Faberry story
1. Chapter 1

A.N: So this is my first ever time writing... Criticism is extremely appreciated. I also have very little motivation when it comes to this, so reviews would be helpful! I hope you enjoy it :)

Books and Boards

Chapter 1

10 am was when Rachel unlocked The Book Nook on a warm, Tuesday morning in July. The door usually got caught on a bump in the uneven, New York sidewalk. However, today Rachel remembered to lift the door a little so that it glided smoothly open. Proud of herself for lifting such a heavy door with her petite (fun sized as she would insist) frame, Rachel sat down behind the counter and sipped on her coffee from the place next door.

It was the summer after her freshman year at NYADA and there was no way in hell Rachel wanted to go back to Lima, Ohio. If her dads wanted to see her that badly, they could come up to the city. She was happily living in an apartment with one other roommate. Her roommate wasn't even home that often because they were in a very committed relationship and often spent time at their girlfriend's house.

Rachel wasn't working in a bookstore because of her interest in great literature. Although, she enjoyed reading and was cultured in the classics, thanks to her dads and high school. The real reason she worked at The Book Nook wasn't for the books, but more so for the fact that it was only a block from her apartment and she was allowed to pick the music that played through the store. Entertaining herself somedays was tough in the summer so she danced in the shop for hours a day and belted RENT whenever she felt like it. Customers didn't usually mind and were typically amused, only glancing up from reading in the comfy chairs near the windows if she hit an impressive high note.

She stayed at the shop until 7 that evening, only leaving the store for a jaunt to the sandwich shop across the street for her lunch. She left a boy named Charles in charge of the store for the ten minutes she was out. He was 11, kind of scrawny with glasses and quite shy. He basically lived at the shop in the summer, and his best friends were the books he surrounded himself with. He had a small crush on Rachel and always did his best to help customers in those ten minutes each day.

After those 9 monotonous hours of work, Rachel headed home. When Rachel got home she went straight to the kitchen because she was starving. One pesto, tomato, and lettuce sandwich could just not fill a person for six hours. Rachel wrote on a sticky note to remind herself to pick up some carrots later for snacking at work.

Rachel's apartment was set up so that when you get in the door there's a small hallway with a coat closet to the left and the kitchen is on the right. The kitchen has a bar that opens up into the living room and two bedrooms on either side of the living room. Rachel's room was on the right and her roommate's was on the left.

"Hey Hobbit! You're home!" Said a voice from the living room.

"I resent that, Satana." Rachel replied, walking out of the kitchen and sitting on the couch next to her friend. Santana and Rachel had known each other since kindergarten but didn't become actual friends until Rachel got Santana through the 'Gay Panic of Junior year'. Before that Santana was ruthless in her verbal bullying of Rachel because as head cheerleader, she was forced to put the losers in their place by a Ms. Sue Sylvester. "No Brittany tonight?" Rachel asked, curious of the bubbly blonde's whereabouts.

"Nah, she went out with some of her dance buddies for drinks after work. She might come over tonight though because she didn't do her dishes yesterday and I don't want a hungover Brit-Brit to have to do chores tomorrow." Santana said. Rachel liked Brittany, she was always nice, and great company. She was also amazing when Santana got angry at Rachel for skipping out on chores. 'Brittana', as Rachel called the couple in her head, were adorable to her. They just worked well together and rarely fought. Santana would always apologize within an hour and Brittany was almost never in the wrong. When she was though, usually Rachel had to step in and mediate.

The night was pretty typical for the two roommates after that, they watched a movie until 11 and then decided to head to their beds. Rachel made an exception in her strict sleep schedule so Santana wouldn't be focused on waiting for Brittany. Rachel, being exhausted from singing and standing all day, fell asleep almost immediately.

She woke up the next morning in true Rachel Berry fashion feeling refreshed and ready for the day. After her morning workout on the elliptical, she promptly showered and got dressed. Surprisingly, Santana was already dancing around the kitchen waving a spatula and cooking some omelettes.

"Sorry hobbit, these are for my girl and me. I ain't cookin' none of that vegan shit before noon, so you're on your own for breakfast chica." Santana said. She was the real chef of the house, and occasionally cooked vegan meals for Rachel if she was in a good mood. Santana worked at a diner as one of the chefs. It worked out well because she loved cooking and hated people, and from the kitchen she had the right to abuse the waiting staff as much as she wanted.

"That's okay Santana, I'm not too hungry yet. I'll probably get something at the grocery store to snack on while I'm at work." Rachel replied. She really wanted carrots for the day so why not go shopping a bit before heading to work? Seeing that it was still too early to head out, Rachel sat down on the couch and to get caught up on the latest celebrity scandals.

Brittany came out of Santana's room around eight forty-five, twirled, and sat down next to Rachel.

"Just wanted to hug you before you go off to work! San said you were going to the store this morning, can you please pick up some gummy bears because I ran out." She said quietly. Brittany was always a bit timid when she was hungover.

"Aww that's nice of you Brit! And of course I will." Rachel replied. She quickly got up to hug Brittany and then left the apartment.

The grocery store was relatively empty, so Rachel was in and out of there quickly. As she walked out the door she looked down at her phone to see how she was doing on time and nearly got ran over by someone on a longboard. HOLY SHIT AM I STILL ALIVE? She asked herself in her head. The only other time she had seen her life flash before her very eyes like that was in seventh grade when Rachel tried ice skating and slammed into the wall of the rink. From then on she decided to stay away from any sports that require sliding of any kind to preserve her beautiful nose.

"Sorry!" The stranger called back. The air rushed from Rachel's lungs as she got a good look at the skater. The stranger was a woman who looked about Rachel's age. She had short blonde hair that reached her chin. She was wearing a gray beanie,a red lumberjack style flannel shirt, with white short-shorts, and black vans. _Ohmygod that girl was gorgeous_, Rachel thought. _But she ALMOST KILLED ME! The nerve of people these days, thinking they own the sidewalk. Learn to share the pavement honey! Oh my lord she probably runs into people all the time. I can't believe she almost hit me. My heart is racing from such a near death experience and definitely not because she was pretty._

Rachel thought of the insensitive blonde girl through most of work. After her lunch break she came back into the shop to find the very same blonde girl sitting in a chair engrossed in a book near the back of the shop. "Charles!" Rachel called the boy over, "Who's that?" She pointed to the blonde. "I'm not sure, but she asked me to help her find the Tolkien section. She muttered something about a bet with her friend…" The young boy responded. "I love Lord of the Rings! Aragorn is so cool!" As Charles spoke of his love for Aragorn, Rachel wasn't paying attention. _Wow she's a nerd. She's a gorgeous, dorky, badass, skater girl… That's pretty hot._


	2. Chapter 2

A.N. Hey guys! It's been the end of the quarter at my school and teachers needed to get grades into the system and aaaaah I had three essays and two tests all due/on one day at one point there... It's been a rough week for my free time. I also suck at forcing myself to sit still and write. So here it is! Chapter 2 from a sorta Quinn's POV :)

**Chapter 2**

**Earlier that day…**

Quinn opened her eyes, and turned her head on her pillow to see her clock. _Ugh… Only 7,_ she thought. Throughout the summer, Quinn Fabray has gotten extremely bored. Most of her days were spent shopping, because her roommate was tired of her looking like a sack of potatoes. In high school, Quinn was obsessed with her appearance. It was all she cared about, and the only way she thought society would accept her. At least, that's what her father told her. And she believed him. She blindly did whatever that horrible man said until she started noticing some… changes.

Senior year of high school, she had her first kiss with another girl. And it felt amazing. She had left the party in a panic, and in the middle of a game of truth or dare. The next few days at school were different for Quinn Fabray. That's when she started noticing stuff. She started noticing the way girls walked, and the inticing swish that their hips made. She started noticing the curves of her female classmates and imagined what they would feel like under her hands. Worst of all, she started noticing boobs. Oh god how Quinn loved them. Seriously, she could list everything she loved about them and the list would be at least four pages long. In fact she got so bored in the second week of summer that she ended up making said list. Her roommate found it one day while cleaning the living room. He was so appalled he made her shred it. Now Quinn just keeps a mental copy of the list.

Quinn came out to her friends once at college. Columbia turned out to be a really accepting place. Nothing like the small town where she grew up in Ohio. Akron was a shitty place in her opinion. Freshman year at Columbia was paradise compared to all of Carmel. It became a little better when her parents got divorced though. Her dad cheated on her mom and left them. Her mom, Judy, was scared at first and turned to drinking. Over time however, Judy Fabray worked hard. She's been sober since Quinn left for college and has really become a mother Quinn is proud to have.

Quinn and her mom began writing letters to each other when Quinn got to New York. It was easier than calling everyday, and being able to save the letters made the two blondes less lonely. Granted, Quinn had her roommate, but she still got a little homesick. Her mom and her really started bonding over the letters. Quinn even felt safe enough to come out to her in person last Christmas. The letters were almost therapeutic for the both of them.

On a happier note in Quinn's mind, her roommate was out for the week! He was on a short vacation in Cape Cod with some of his NYADA friends. He asked Quinn to come along but she wanted to have some alone time. Also, she had no doubt in her mind that her roommate would find a shopping mall and force her into it. She had been traumatized in June when he tried putting her in skirts. Too many bad memories of the cheerleading skirt she wore at high school. She always shudders when she thinks about high school. Quinn is quite proud of the person she's become. She is much more confident and comfortable with herself, and never puts up a fake front. Her time in New York has really made her stop hiding who she is.

Quinn got out of bed after a bit and looked in her full length mirror. She was wearing black boy shorts and a blue Ravenclaw quidditch t-shirt. Her hair stuck up so much she was a good four inches taller. After seeing Quinn like this every morning, her roommate had dubbed her pre-coffee persona 'Lion Quinn'. She was either moody and grunted a lot, or extremely playful in the morning. It depended on what was planned for the rest of the day.

Lion Quinn transformed into normal Quinn once she got dressed in a flannel and some white jean shorts. She tamed most of her hair too but a tiny piece kept sticking up in the back. Her solution was just a gray beanie. Deciding she should eat some breakfast, she put on her black vans and grabbed her longboard.

New York was beautiful on summer mornings. The diner she went to wasn't in a very busy neighborhood on a weekday morning, but she almost ran into someone on her way there. She was passing by a grocery store when the door suddenly opened, and a short woman walked out. Quinn expertly swerved and avoided the stunning brunette who looked quite flustered.

"Sorry!" She called back at the woman.

_Way to go Quinn… _She thought, _Kurt's always telling me that I'm going to end up killing someone and now I've nearly done it! Well I'll just keep that a secret from him, otherwise he'd never let it go and I'd be mocked constantly._

For a while, Quinn decided just to take in the beauty of the city. She aimlessly boarded around, gliding over the pavement. She began longboarding during the summer between Carmel and Columbia. Learning wasn't very difficult for Quinn. She had natural grace and balance in bucket loads, it was in her DNA. Since her dad had left already she never had to hide it from him. Secretly,. Quinn had wanted to skateboard since she was little, but her dad always said it was "unbecoming of a young lady with her social stature".

Quinn arrived at the diner and was only a little sweaty. As in shape as she was, it was hot outside.

"Hey Quinn!" One of the waiters said, "How's life goin for ya, girlie?"

"Oh hey Blaine, everything's great! I'm getting a little bored lately, but enjoying the solitude without Kurt."

"The roommate I hear so much about?"

Quinn chuckled, "His latest conquest has been my wardrobe. Do you think he'll stop dragging me into stores if I mysteriously break my leg?"

"Honey you are talking to a bowtie fanatic and it's been causing me physical pain to not take you shopping."

"You too?! Blaine, you were supposed to be the man I can trust!" She faked a shocked look.

Blaine let out a loud laugh, "Sorry girl, I would lose my gay card if I didn't say something."

"Ugh," Quinn groaned. "Just get me my damn waffles and bacon."

"Extra bacon right?"

"How dare you even ask! Of course extra bacon. Never ask me that again Mr. Anderson or I'll stop tipping."

Blaine winked and walked away towards the kitchen. Quinn decided texting Kurt would distract her enough from her grumbling lioness tummy.

**Good morning twinkle toes XO -Q**

** Hey girlie! Am I speaking to coherent Quinn or the lion within her? -K**

** RAWR! -Q**

** Oh good god… Please tell me you're at least wearing clothes this morning? I know you're home alone but it's almost 9 -K**

** I'm at the diner, can you believe I forgot to go shopping -Q**

** Suuuuuuuure babe, that's why. It's definitely not because you don't wanna do the dishes - K**

** IF ARAGORN DOESN'T DO DISHES THEN WHY SHOULD I -Q**

** You're still on this? We watched LOTR a month ago… For the last time, you are not the King of Men. When you are, I promise to do the dishes, but today is not that day -K**

** Oh shut up, I'll prove this. Also mah bacon is here so bye bitch -Q**

** Fine, I'll just enjoy this nice beautiful beach so have fun with your pig meat -K**

"Here you go," Blaine said as he put down her plate. Her mouth was already salivating in anticipation. If anything could make Quinn happy, it was waffles with syrup and EXTRA bacon. She scarfed down the meal. _Thank god nobody else is in the diner to see this girl… God I love her, but honey needs to learn how to use a napkin,_ Blaine thought while watching Quinn eat. She even got syrup on her shirt! What kind of full grown woman gets food on herself? _Oh good, she's all finished._

Blaine walked back over to her table, "That one's on the house if you let me meet this roommate of yours sometime." So he was single and Kurt sounded like a sweet guy, sue him.

"You sure? You won't get in trouble or anything?" She asked.

"Nah, the mean chef isn't here this morning. If anyone would yell at me for this it would be her." He replied.

"Well… Thanks then! I'll see you around Mr. Anderson." She said 'Mr. Anderson' in her best Agent Smith voice from the _Matrix_.

"Always a pleasure, Ms. Fabray."

Quinn went back to her apartment after that. She spent an hour looking for her _Lord of the Rings_ books, but all attempts were futile. After a quick phone call to her mother, the books were indeed back in her Ohio bedroom. Surprisingly, this was the best news Quinn had received all summer. It was an excuse to go book shopping! Oh how Quinn loved book stores, the smell of old pages and coffee was her favorite aroma. This also meant she would finally be able to take a look at _The Book Nook. _One of her friends from Columbia told her about it after stumbling upon it on a walk. Apparently it was tucked away and hard to find.

Quinn was now on a mission.


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN: Well... This chapter was way later than planned... Sorry about that guys! I just lost the story in my head for a while but then it came right back when the Whitney Houston episode was on the other day. Note to self: Inspiration for fanfic = watching the goddamn show  
**_

**Chapter 3**

Skating was hard work. Quinn had been looking for _The Book Nook_ for over an hour now. The leg supporting all of her weight on the board was starting to cramp. And worst of all, Quinn was hungry. Nevermind the huge breakfast she ate 3 hours ago, her tummy was talking to her with almost every push of the board. She promised herself to go one more block, and then stop for food. She could smell fresh baked bread and it was getting stronger as she kept going forwards. Quinn hopped off the board and bent down to pick it up. Walking into the small shop, she looked around. It was a small bakery which also appeared to make sandwiches…. with bacon. She ordered a sandwich and sat down outside at a little table on the sidewalk, and started people watching. It was one of her favorite past times.

Quinn had never been a person who was able to sit still, so she put her board under her feet and started playing with it. After finishing her sandwich, she began to move it from one foot to the other. A couple minutes later the board shot out from under the table and onto the sidewalk. _Oh crap! _Quinn thought. The board had gotten caught under the feet of a middle aged man and tripped him. He fell down on his knees but caught himself with his hands, and then grabbed the board before it could go into the street or trip another person.

Quinn ran over to him as he got up and dusted himself off a little bit. He was wearing loose jeans and a Yankees sweatshirt and was carrying a plastic bag full of magazines. "I'm so sorry sir, are you okay?" She asked.

He didn't look angry at all and he started laughing, "I knew I was going to trip at some point today, I just didn't know when! Here's your board back. And good for you! I should probably get some exercise today as well."

Quinn was taken aback. This guy should be pissed at her, but he was laughing about it instead. That's never happened to her. Usually people assumed she was up to no good and yelled at her. She took a closer look at the bag, inside were what looked like photography and nature magazines and written on the outside was _The Book Nook_. "Hey if you don't mind me asking, where did you buy those magazines? I've been looking for that store all day!"

He smiled again and said, "It's literally across the street, see?" He pointed across traffic. Sure enough, a tiny sign over a door was labeled '_The Book Nook'_.

"Thank you, Sir. And I'm very sorry for tripping you." Quinn replied.

"No problem, have a good day!" He walked away.

After the very intelligent eleven year old directed Quinn to the Classics section (which Quinn thought was a fitting place to put her favorite trilogy), she began inspecting the different copies. It appeared that this bookstore also sold secondhand books. Quinn thought books had more character when the spine was already wrinkled and most often the used copies were published a longer time ago, which gives them that perfect 'old paper' smell. Book smell was the best scent in the world, other than bacon of course…

She found a set of all three books with the best smelling pages and ambled over to a huge leather chair in the back of the store. _Man, if Kurt was here I wouldn't be able to sit and read. He'd need to keep moving or just get pissed off by the lack of sequins._ _Although, he just might be a fan of the music selection that's playing right now. Am I listening to Wicked right now? Oh god who the hell runs this store, the only person that seems to be working here is that kid who seems way too smart for his age._

Just then, Quinn noticed a short brunette walk in and sit behind the counter. _ Why is she so familiar? She's really adorable I should remember where I know her from, _Quinn thought. Quinn went back to reading without giving the strange girl much more than the occasional glance. Quinn told herself it was just to give her eyes a break from the words but deep down she knew it was because this girl was just so cute!

First of all, she was tiny, and everybody knows that tiny things are cuter than larger things. She was like a little puppy. Secondly, every time Quinn looked up at her, she'd be either dancing or mouthing the words to the show tunes playing throughout the store. Next adorable thing on the list was this girls general happiness. She'd been working all day, but she clearly enjoys her job and is nice to the customers. The only strike the brunette had against her, in Quinn's mind, was how loud she was. She just randomly belted high notes in the middle of Quinn trying to read, and sometimes her peppiness caused her to talk quite loudly to the customers.

Willing to risk having her eardrums blown, Quinn got up and started walking towards the counter with her books. However, as Quinn got closer and closer, she remembered where she had seen this girl before. _MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY! QUINN ABORT THE MISSION, YOU ALMOST RAN THIS GIRL OVER DON'T GO NEAR HER, ABORT, RUN, FLEE!_

As quickly as she could, Quinn speed walked back to the chair, picked up her board, put the books down, and speed walked right out of the store. When her feet hit pavement instead of carpet, she dropped the board hopped on it and skated back home.

Quinn was never good at handling awkward situations, or just people in general. They usually thought she was really mean for some reason. Kurt always says that she has 'bitchy resting face'. She never approaches people anyway, and her BRF just prevents people from approaching her. That brunette was really cute, and there was no way in hell that Quinn was going to walk up to her after almost killing her! That would just be embarrassing… What would she even say, "Sorry I almost accidentally murdered you?" No! That's no way to start a conversation.

She'd have to think about this more carefully...


End file.
